Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

If we are going for Hunt it will most likely require a $1mil salary, i would prefer to take Johnson for 600k
Shaun Johnson will not leave NZ for 600, he will want big big dollars for his pension fund.

Also any 7 we approach knows what we offered Moses and knows we are desperate, so the starting point will be a million. As for Hunt, would be my no1 target, perfect fit for our club for two years, but he will not go from one cellar dweller to another and will not be short of offers
 
I just watched the reggies replay and we need to picking Blore and Matamua on the bench this week.
In fact any of the reserve grade pack offer more off the bench than Joffa.
Give Simpkin the flick as well and just embrace the power game with Blore, Matamua Twal and Kepoa as our bench.
Like it apart from kepoa his defence on the edge scares me.
 
Hunt needs to be the priority over Johnson if he is allowed to leave the Dragons. Hunt's a better player at halfback, can fill in at hooker at an elite level (he's probably a top 5 hooker in the league too) and he rarely misses games nor has he had dips in form like Johnson has.

With that said, if we could somehow land both, that would be amazing. I suspect it's one or the other though.
Put yourself in Hunt's shoes. He's at a troubled merger club with bad management guaranteed big money, if he were to leave do you think he we want to come here?

IMO if Hunt leaves the Dragons, he's going to a successful club.

Johnson on the other hand is at a club with Te Maire Martin, Volkman, Metcalf all competing for NRL positions, and they've just signed RTS.

I think if we prioritise Hunt we end up with neither.
 
I just watched the reggies replay and we need to picking Blore and Matamua on the bench this week.
In fact any of the reserve grade pack offer more off the bench than Joffa.
Give Simpkin the flick as well and just embrace the power game with Blore, Matamua Twal and Kepoa as our bench.
Blore was massive in that game. Matamua looks to be growing in physicality every week. Aitasi James continued to run the ball hard.

Blore has to be picked this week.

He's a better 2nd rower than Kepaoa.

Kepaoa is a better centre than Talau.
 
I think Brooks will become the next Andrew Johns over the next couple of years.
We should definitely give him a 5 year extension, with more money as an incentive to play better, just incase he does start to play like the next Andrew Johns 🤭
 
I just watched the reggies replay and we need to picking Blore and Matamua on the bench this week.
In fact any of the reserve grade pack offer more off the bench than Joffa.
Give Simpkin the flick as well and just embrace the power game with Blore, Matamua Twal and Kepoa as our bench.
I agree with your first two sentences. However, while we definitely lose intensity when Api is off the field(same could be said for Klemmer), giving him a rest with Jake has helped tremendously towards the back end of the game. Also, giving Jake the game time is only going to do good things for him, especially if he has to cover when Api plays origin.

Honestly before this week our subs were poorly managed:
  • Pole playing long minutes only to eventually get rotated out for Twal who had already played about 40 straight.
  • Jake and Api swapping immediately after half time, Jake was coming out against fresh men and Api doesn't need 2 breaks.
  • Stefano / Klemmer starting & Offa / Twal off the bench doesn't work. We put 2 passive men on for 2 aggressive ones. This is why I think we fall off massively. I will say Twal has added another dimension to his game and does look more aggressive, but its not enough with Offa as his partner.
  • We need a 13 that can ball play. I honestly think Twal has thrown more passes this year than Pole (That's not saying Twal is a 13, that is me giving perspective on why I think Pole isn't)
I have been thinking for weeks our pack should be.

8. Stefano
9. Api
10. Klemmer
11. Papali'i
12. Bateman
13. Matamua

14. Simpkin
15. Twal (Sub for Stefano)
16. Pole (Sub for Klemmer)
17. Blore (Either sub for Matamua, or come in at one of the second row spots and shift Bateman mid game.
 
On a purely business/salary cap level, Johnson on $600k and Brooks resigned on $500k (both reported as on the table), would be value for money.

SJ currently on $500k at Warriors and likely will not get resigned there so very possible. Plus his love for Benji. This could allow us to buy a Lomax or another game-breaking centre...
 

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